10 A.M OR 10 P.M... KI FARAK PANDA?





Pic.: Indu Varier

It is 10 dot in the morning, now. Reshma, a dear friend of mine, has just sent a message on my phone: “Sir, running late… Should be there in 15 minutes max.”

“No problem Reshma,” I replied instantly.

Reshma has been living in London with her husband and two little-girls. Back home, here in Mumbai, her elderly parents live. They are very sick. Moreover, there is her brother, who has been mentally retarded right from his birth.

Some days ago, Reshma called me up…. “Sir, I am in India,” she said, “I will come and see you in a few days.” Yesterday, she called me up, again, to check with me if she could meet me today. Thus, we fixed it for today morning, at 10…

Ironically, last night, someone had asked some of us to attend a meeting at 10 concerning some issue. All of us were there before time. The gentleman, who had called the meeting, did not turn up till 10.30… Nor did he consider it important to inform us, leave alone feeling bad, apologetic, or guilty about it. He carries two high-end phones with him… and, finally, at 10.30, when he appeared, he could be so cool about it…


The only explanation for why someone like Reshma thinks it is important to inform on being late, and why someone like this gentleman doesn’t think so is: how one values his own and others’ time. Besides this, it, also, comes from how one values his relationship with others…

For someone like Reshma, there is a direct link between the quality of her relationships and the quality of her communication… It is a part of her well-being. And, for someone like the other gentleman, such a link is not established… So, it is not a big deal if, because of your delay, others are made to wait… You can be cool about it…

Reshma can’t…

You and I can’t…

!0 a.m. or 10 p.m. Ki farak panda?

GERALD D’CUNHA

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

MUTHU KODI KAWARI HADA

Image
Pic.; Ashwin Mohta M y Hindi was always bad. It still is. One reason for this was, that they introduced Hindi for us only in 6 th standard. Or, was it in 8 th ? I don’t remember… I only remember struggling to write and read… leave alone speak! But, I loved Hindi movies, and, strangely, I could understand the dialogues and the lyrics of the songs… I used to sing those songs (of course when no one was around me!) as if I was the lyricist… One of the songs was a very funny one. ‘Muthu Kodi Kawari Hada’. It was from Mehmood’s super-hit comedy – ‘Do Phool’. I was a 15-year-old high-school boy when I had heard that song (not watched the movie). I could grasp the meaning of two words – ‘Muthu Kodi’… which meant ‘Give kiss’… But, what ‘Kawari Hada’ meant, I have no clue till date! It was just like ‘Why this kolaveri di’... Yes, why ask? Simply enjoy the beats… And, the beats are great… The rest... Who cares? Really! So, whatever bit of Hi...
Read more

SELLING MIRRORS IN THE CITY OF THE BLIND

Image
“I laugh when I hear that the fish in the water is thirsty. I laugh when I hear that people go on pilgrimage to find God.” - Kabir T here is a universal human weakness – and it dates back to the days of fallen civilizations – and it is: to place people on pedestal and trying to be smothered by them, feel loved and protected in their company… worship them as mentors, heroes,  gurus, Mahagurus and Satgurus… Make these mortals larger-than-life cut-outs, worship them as flawless, pure and give one’s all… And, then, ‘take’ everything from them blindly as divine… Give everything to them blindly… Eventually, what happens is:  one more dangerous bondage… What was supposed to free you now becomes a new prison… It’s sad to see this happen! T his room, where I am writing this Post, has no image of any deity. I have no image of any Guru or Master around me… My question is: “Am I not able to feel close to Almighty God?  How ...
Read more

"HAPPILY EVER AFTER IS NOT A FAIRY-TALE... IT IS A CHOICE"

Image
“Love doesn’t just sit there, like a stone… It has to be made, like bread; remade all the time, made new.” – Ursula K. Le Guin,  The Lathe of Heaven T welve years ago, when Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie got married, the world began to hail the couple as ‘Brangelina’. It became a fashion for couples around us to call themselves so… Norbert and Teresa renamed them as ‘Noresa’…  Amol and Vishaka baptized their relationship as ‘Amoshka’… and, Salman and Nargis became ‘Salgis’! I and my wife, too, got tempted to re-christian our matrimonial relationship as ‘Germa’... That is, Gerald and Anima, to be precise! B efore I proceed any further, let me make it very clear, here… that, I have no business to judge on the break-up of Brad Pitt and Angelina’ Jolie’s marriage. I have no inclination to go into why, how, what when etc behind it… The couple ‘chose’ to split. And, it’s their choice… Only they know how good or bad… how joyful or pain...
Read more
THE WILD, WAYSIDE FLOWERS
There is, always, something extra-ordinary in the wild, wayside flowers...